Method of making linoleum



Feb. 27, 1945. s. H. HARTMAN METHOD OF MAKING LINOLEUM Filed Jan. l4, 1943 Patented F eb. 27, 1945 METHOD or MAKING LINOLEUM Samuel Hartman, Lancaster, Pa, assignor to Armstrong Cork Company, Lancaster, Pa... a corporation of Pennsylvania Application January 14, 1943, Serial No. 472,363

6 Claims.

This invention relates to a method of making linoleum or the like with a grained appearance. Inlaid linoleum is a typical type of material to which the method is applicable.

The object of the invention is to provide a method by which linoleum or the like having a fine line type of raining, similar to that appearing naturally in certain types of marbles, may be economically produced.

Some of the most beautiful marbles are constituted of a variegated background and fine line veining of a contrasting color, irregularly formed in the body, not of uniform width and more or less discontinuous. Various attempts have been made to reproduce graining of this type in linoleum but most have been unsuccessful in that the graining is more or less of a clouded character, is not fine lined, or if fine lined, the lines have been sharp, clear, and distinct and did not possess the hairy discontinuity so characteristic of the veining in natural marbles of that type.

According to this invention, relatively fine filaments of linoleum composition are formed and these are mixed with linoleum composition of a contrasting color or colors or different values of the same color. The composition is preferably in granular form. The mix is then compressed by calendering to form a homogeneous sheet in which the filaments are irregularly or heterogeneously disposed throughout the thickness of.

the sheet. The sheet thus formed is then severed into short lengths which are stacked and fed at right angles to a cross rolling calender. The cross rolling materially reduces the thickness of a pack of sheets producing a final sheet of the desired thickness, and is'efiective for rupturing the filaments in both longitudinal and transverse directions, imparting to the final product that degree of hairy discontinuity so characteristic of certain types of natural marbles.

ments of the composition prior to incorporation in and consolidation with the body mix.

Linoleum composition, prior to curing, is more or less thermoplastic in character, being formed of oxidized oil and resin mixed with suitable pigments and fillers. It is, therefore, possible to extrude or strain such mix through relatively fine orifices and thus produce relatively fine filamarble likewise varies to a marked degree, de-

pending upon the locality where it occurs. The nature of the extrusion machine is such that the length of the formed filaments will vary but if the filaments are longer than desired, they may be readily broken. In order to prevent the filaments from adhering to one another, they are preferably coated with a powder as they issue from the extruding machine or are maintained in a cooled condition so as to avoid massing.

In certain types of veining, it will be found desirable to utilize filaments of two or more different colors, such as brown and black or different values of a single color, such as light brown and dark brown. This depends upon the type of .graining desired in the final product and the choice of the designer.

The body of the mix is preferably formed of granulated linoleum composition of a character similar to that of the filaments. Relatively large lumps of composition may be employed or the composition may be relatively finely granulated, again depending upon the type of graining desired. Some natural marbles have a more or less monocolored background whereas others are finely mottled and more nearly approach granite in appearance. The body mix may be of a single color or may be a mixture of colors, or values of the same color, and the size of the lumps or granules or mixtures of both will depend upon the product to be produced. In most instances the body mix will be formed of a plurality of diflerent colors or values of the same color and will be in granular form since in natural marble the body is generally not constituted of large areas of contrasting colors.

In many marbles, the veins are relatively limited in extent with respect to the body portion and for that reason the body mix will generally constitute a major portion of the composition which forms the final sheet; in the order of 40% to 90% body mix and to 10% filaments.

These limits are not final but are given as a general indication of the proportioning.

The body mix will be prepared in the manner well-known in the linoleum industry, ready for calendering. The filaments in a similar condition will then be incorporated into the body mix,

the mixing preferably being accomplished in a standard mottling machine which is effective for interspersing the body mix and the filaments without excessive reduction in size of the filaments or massing or pressure blending of the filaments and body mix. This operation is preferably carried on while the mixes are at relatively low room temperatures.

After mottling is completed, the mix is fed to a two-roll calender which is indicated by the numeral 2 in Figure l. The calender is of conventional form and comprises a pair of calender rolls 3 and 4, the roll 3 of which is preferably cooled by running cold water, brine, or other refrigerant therethrough. The roll 4 is preferably 4 not cooled but attains a relatively warm condition due to the frictional heat developed in calendering. The calendered mix is removed from the roll 4 by a doctor blade 5 and the formed sheet is deposited onto a conveyor 6. A small portion of the sheet so formed is illustrated in Figure 2. An examination of this view will show that the filaments are distributed heterogeneously throughout the mix and are relatively sharp and well-defined and have not been blended with the body mix.

The sheet as it comes from the calender 2 is severed transversely of its length by a knife 1 into lengths equivalent to approximately the width of a cross rolling calender to which the sheets are fed in stacked and overlapped relationship as indicated at 8. The cross rolling calender is generally similar to the sheeting calender 2 in that it includes two rolls 9 and I0, one of which is preferably cooled to prevent smearing of the face of the sheet as it is formed and also to create the desired drag on the composition to actually rupture the filaments. This calendering operation reduces the thickness of the sheets fed to it to a single homogeneous sheet ll of the desired final thickness and with the graining extending throughout a substantial portion of the thickness. In this reduction, the filaments of linoleum composition are distorted and are actually ruptured in directions both longitudinally and transversely of the sheet. This is best illustrated in Figure 3 where it will be noted that a filament H has been ruptured longitudinally at I3 and transversely at [4. It is difiicult to illustrate marble graining in black and white line drawings, but an endeavor has been made to illustrate the graining obtainable. It will be noted that the areas I5 are generally of a fine line character, representing the filaments of linoleum composition in their final form and the hairy irregularity of veining is noticeable. There is no substantial blending of the filaments into the body mix whichwouldproduce a clouded effect but rather the filaments retain their general identity but are ruptured and distorted.

The general appearance of the filaments is illustrated in Figure 4 where filaments l6 of one color and other filaments ll of a contrasting color are shown.

The sheet H as formed on the cross rolling calender may be subsequently pressed into engagement with a suitable backing such as burlap, cotton sheeting or the like or it may be died into suitable shapes and inlaid onto the backing. The sheet may be formed in suitable thickness and cut into the form of tiles without a backing, if desired. If the mix is of the form usually employed in linoleum manufacture, it will be cured by heating in curing ovens. Other compositions may require no stoving or heat curing.

While I have illustrated and described certain preferred embodiments of my invention, it will be understood that the same,is not limited thereto but may be otherwise embodied and practiced within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

, 1. In a method of making linoleum or the like with a grained appearance, the steps of irregularly distributing filaments of linoleum composition throughout a mass of similar composition to form a heterogeneous mix of variegated colors, sheeting said mix to form a veined sheet, and thereafter cross rolling the sheet so formed to irregularly rupture said filaments and produce a fine line graining.

2. In a method of making linoleum or the like with a grained appearance, the steps of irregularly distributing filaments of linoleum composition having a length materially in excess of their thickness throughout a mass of similar composition to form a heterogeneous mix of variegated colors, sheeting said mix to form a veined sheet, and thereafter cross rolling the sheet so formed to produce a grained sheet by rupture of said filaments.

3. In a method of making linoleum or the like with a grained appearance, the steps of irregularly distributing filaments of linoleum composition throughout a granulated mass of similar linoleum composition to form a mix of variegated colors, compressing said mix to consolidate said granular composition and filaments into a homogeneous sheet with the filaments heterogeneously distributed throughout the thickness thereof, and thereafter irregularly rupturing said filaments in both longitudinal and transverse directions by cross rolling.

4. In a method of making linoleum or the like with a grained appearance, the -steps of irregularly distributing filaments of linoleum composition throughout a granulated mass of similar linoleum composition, the granulated mass constituting the body of the mix and the filaments the variegating portion, calendering said mix to form a sheet in which the filaments are heterogeneously distributed throughout the thickness thereof, and thereafter cross rolling said sheet by calendering to consolidate-said mix and intersperse said filaments by rupture thereof into irregular fine line graining.

5. In a method of making linoleum or the like, the steps comprising irregularly distributing filaments of linoleum composition throughout a body mass of linoleum composition of contrasting color to form a mix, calendering said mix to form a sheet in which the filaments are embedded in the body'composition heterogeneously throughout substantially the entire .thickness thereof and with the filaments in substantially their original unblended condition, andthereafter cross rollingsaid sheet so formed to rupture said filaments and produce a grained sheet.

6. In a method of making linoleum or the like with a grained appearance, the steps of irregularly distributing filaments of linoleum composition throughout a mass of similar composition to form a heterogeneous mix of variegated colors, sheeting said mix to form a veined web, severing said web transversely of its length into a plurality of sheets, overlapping said sheets, and cross rolling the same to irregularly rupture said filaments and produce a fine line graining.

SAMUEL H. HAR'I'MAN. 

